Carlos Sainz managed to be the only non-Red Bull driver to win a major Formula 1 race this year, at the Singapore GP. The Ferrari driver liked several aspects of this year’s car, but stressed that there need to be improvements and differences to increase competitiveness in 2024.
In an interview with DAZN, the Spaniard reiterated his confidence in the Scuderia and explained that the car has to be complete: ‘I trust this team. I trust the ability we have at the factory to turn things around. There were still some circuits where we achieved pole position three tenths ahead of Red Bull. It’s just that qualifying was a specific characteristic of the car where it was really good. Now we have to turn it into an all-terrain vehicle’.
As for the strengths of the SF-23, Sainz commented: ‘I would definitely choose straight-line speed, braking performance, and the pace in shorter 90-degree corners. I think the behavior of the car on the curbs was another very positive aspect. So the car had some very, very strong aspects’.
That being said, the Madrid native admitted that it may be necessary to “take a step back to take two steps forward”: ‘I think if we want to have a good car for the whole championship, maybe we have to give up some of those traits to ensure that we are fast in all areas, especially in races’.
